The invention relates to a vehicle, in particular a motor-driven utility vehicle, with a hook-up unit comprising at least one axle and supporting legs, wherein the vehicle and the hook-up unit are coupled by way of a centering means including wedge-shape members and by way of a locking mechanism.
In a conventional vehicle of the type mentioned hereinabove (DOS [German Unexamined Laid-Open Application] No. 1,580,019), the hook-up unit comprises a connecting wedge which is inserted in a correspondingly constructed pocket of the vehicle and fastened therein by means of a holding device. This arrangement is burdened by the disadvantage that it is difficult to attach the hook-up unit in case of angular and directional differences between the two vehicle components and/or in case of differences in terrain. Thereby, a rapid and secure coupling of the unit to the vehicle, done preferably in cases of rendering technical assistance, fire fighting, or the like, is impaired. Additionally, the coupling process requires at least two people, i.e., the driver of the vehicle and a person giving directions, and this causes further complications.
As a result, it is an object of the invention to provide a vehicle with a hook-up unit which can be rapidly and safely coupled to and/or uncoupled from the vehicle, and, in particular, to enable the coupling process to be made possible without reliance upon another's assistance and directions.
According to an embodiment of the invention, this object has been attained by providing, between the vehicle and the hook-up unit, a towing arrangement which is surrounded by centering members and which cooperates with a tightening fixture that is movable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In this connection, it is advantageous to give each centering member the shape of a truncated pyramid. Furthermore, the towing arrangement is articulated to the hook-up unit and is connected to a coupling of the tightening fixture. The towing arrangement is maintained in a middle position by means of spring elements. The tightening fixture arranged at the vehicle comprises a guide element for the coupling, and the guide element is fashioned as a pipe receiving a sliding element of the coupling. The sliding element has the shape of a crosshead. The vehicle and hook-up are securable together by a locking mechanism. This locking mechanism comprises connecting hooks cooperating with mounting members. The connecting hooks are movable about vertically extending pins or studs arranged outside of the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle. The connecting hooks are attached to the vehicle, and the mounting members are attached to the hook-up unit. The connecting hooks, the tightening fixture, and the coupling are actuated by means of hydraulic cylinders.
Among the advantages attainable, in particular, by the invention are that, due to the towing arrangement and the tightening fixture, the hook-up can be rapidly and simply joined to the vehicle. In this connection, the vehicle and the hook-up unit can be disposed at an angle or in an offset relationship, caused by driving differences or unevennesses of the terrain. The tightening fixture pulls the hook-up unit in the direction toward the vehicle, thus aligning the hook-up unit by means of the fixation device in a correct position with respect to the vehicle. The tightening hooks constituting the locking mechanism ensure a secure connection of the two vehicle components. If the vehicle and the hook-up unit are located in an especially uneven terrain, then there is the possibility of pulling the hook-up unit with the vehicle by way of the towing means in the manner of a single-axle trailer to a more favorable terrain and only thereafter conducting the coupling step. Since the connection of the towing means with the coupling of the tightening fixture takes place automatically, the coupling step can be executed by the driver of the vehicle without help from anyone.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention.